Winds of Chance
by wildkat
Summary: Five years after returning to her world, Chihiro wonders why Haku has yet to keep his promise. Accompanied by a Wind Spirit that she befriended, Chihiro sets out to find Haku and get some answers. H/C.


Disclaimer: I don't own "Spirited Away." or any of its characters.  
  
Chapter One  
  
It is a summer day and two people are standing under a weeping willow tree. They are watching a fifteen-year-old who is drawing and writing in a notebook.  
  
"This is the time when someone her age should be running around with her friends," the woman stated with a sigh, "Instead she comes out here everyday and sits on that hill, drawing in that notebook. She's fifteen years old, for crying out loud. But when I look at her, its almost as if she's aged beyond her years."  
  
"Who knows what goes through her mind anymore?" the man added, "I, for one, don't have a clue. She's always staring off into space muttering the name 'Haku'. It unnerves me a bit."  
  
"I think she knows we here," the woman replied, "Let's head home."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
That night...  
  
Chihiro Ogino sighed as she stood up and stretched before getting ready for bed. Her half-done sketch stared out from the page as she left her notebook open. The sketch was of a young man, in work clothes, hair that down to his chin and eyes that would be green once she was done.  
  
It's been five years since she had been to the Realm of the Spirits. Five years since she had met Kamadjii, the Boiler Man. Five years since she had last helped Lin clean the big tub. Five years since she had seen a River Spirit by the name of Kohaku.  
  
"Haku...my Haku. Why haven't you come?" Chihiro asked out as she leaned against the sill of her open window, "Do you still remember me? Do you remember your promise?"  
  
Suddenly the wind picked up, playing with her shoulder length hair. It blew in her ears like the breath of a person whispering. Then she heard it, faint at first, but it was gently getting louder.  
  
"Chihiro...Sen...Chihiro..."  
  
"Yes, who is it?" she whispered, remembering the Wind Spirit that she had befriended not a year after leaving the Spirit World, "Is that you, Kei?"  
  
The wind playfully whistled around her head as if answering her question. Then she heard the familiar voice once more before a magnificent bird appeared at her window. It was silver and white with black tips on its wings, even its eyes were silver. It was so large that a full grown person could have easily taken a ride on it.  
  
"May I come in?"  
  
Chihiro stepped back and beckoned for the Wind Spirit to come inside. It shrunk to the size of a small bird, calmly flew into her room, and hovered for a few seconds before turning into a full sized human form. Chihiro greeted the familiar young woman. Where it would unnerve most people, Chihiro was used to Kei's appearance.  
  
Kei had long, silver, hair, which was kept in a braid, and silver eyes. She was wearing a white gi with small tornados on each pants leg. On her gi shoulders were ying-yang signs. On the back of her gi was a large, white, tiger with its claws poised ready to strike. Though she wouldn't tell her why, Chihiro sensed that the tiger held some sort of symbolic importance to her friend.  
  
"I can sense a great extent of pain within your heart," Kei stated softly, "You spoke to someone else, but it was carried to my ears by the wind. This Haku you speak of, is he very important to you?"  
  
"Yes," Chihiro replied softly and then blushed, "I love him."  
  
"There is no reason to be embarrassed about being in love," Kei stated softly and then smiled when Chihiro's blush disappeared, "Now tell me, why are you so sad about a promise?"  
  
"Haku, he promised that we would see each other again," Chihiro replied very softly, almost at a whisper.  
  
"Tonight I could go to the Bathhouse and see what is holding him up if that would help ease the hurt," Kei suggested.  
  
Chihiro's eyes lit up at this suggestion.  
  
"Would you please?"  
  
"Yes," the Wind Spirit replied, "I will be back tomorrow morninght and I will tell you what I have found out."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Spirit Realm...  
  
Kei sighed for the third time since she had arrived at the Bathhouse.  
  
"So I slightly smell like a human, so what of it?" she asked the Toad in front of her in agitation.  
  
"Y-you stink!" a nearby Yuna complianed with a nasally voice due to her pinching her nose shut with her hand, "You're making the customers complain and some are thinking of leaving without paying!"  
  
"Fine! I'll leave if it bothers your customers so much!" she cried in anger and turned to leave when a someone caught her eye.  
  
It was Lin, but Kei only knew her through Chihiro's story and sketches.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey!" Kei cried as she ran after the woman.  
  
Lin stopped and turned around.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Yeah," she panted, "I'm Kei, a Wind Spirit, and a friend of Sen's."  
  
Lin almost dropped the bucket she was carrying.  
  
"Come down to the Boiler Room in five minutes," Lin instructed, "Go out the back gate, down the stairs, and you'll find it."  
  
With that said, Lin took off like a shot. Leaving Kei standing there, all alone, totally confused. 


End file.
